Politics Seems to be BULLSHIT!

I only got involved in politics about 2 years ago. But what I've learned so far climbing "up the ranks" and that's not saying much to where I am...but it all still seems to be BULLSHIT! From local, to state, and then to national politics, all I see so far is one against another, and what will benefit whom? What MY FOLKS taught me 46 years ago was who COULD benefit whom - and THAT meant helping one another - it meant FAIRNESS - it meant FISCAL responsibility, and it MEANT that ANYBODY that GOT elected could at least add 2 + 2! It meant that when we elected or appointed an official, THEY would ACTUALLY REPRESENT the PEOPLE! TODAY - NOTHING - NOW who can benefit who means who gets pay back on what someone donated to them, or which STUPID law benefits MONEY that brought the elected official to office. It's NO LONGER about WE THE PEOPLE! NOT how it was when I WAS LEARNING ABOUT American History - NOT WHAT MY FOUNDING FATHERS DID! Republicans argue with Democrats...Gays argue among Straights...Hispanics / Asians / Muslims / Jews / Christians / and ANYBODY I left out still seem to ARGUE in 2009! It's ALL BULLSHIT! The CONSTITUTION of America is what made this Country GREAT! Many don't even KNOW what the constitution EVEN SAYS! AMERICA made America the MELTING POT, and I guess TODAY, I'm questioning WHY we allowed the ones that wanted to melt with the rest of us TODAY QUESTION our ORIGINAL intentions? The ORIGINAL intention of our Founding Fathers (and YES they were men...and for the WOMEN that take fault to that should RECONSIDER their position...accepting the amendments to the Constitution thereof that have made it OK)...There was NEVER anything WRONG with STRONG women making a home, having a job, and supporting what AMERICA was all about :) IF YOU came here from somewhere else, you OBVIOUSLY came here because YOU thought it was BETTER, and YOU wanted to be an AMERICAN! So, to come here and force YOUR laws, and YOUR culture ON US - means YOU REALLY LIKED where you WERE! So...WHY come here and try to CHANGE AMERICA? After all, you CAME here, and WE let you in...so WHY try to CHANGE the WHOLE AMERICA??? YES, we welcomed you, and YES we welcomed some of your culture...your food, your religious beliefs, you are FREE to hold them...BUT YOU ARE NOT FREE TO MANDATE THEM TO ALL OF US THAT WERE ALREADY HERE! It's cool to bring your culture here, but it's NOT COOL to CHANGE AMERICA to BE whatever YOU WERE! If you LOVED what you WERE, then WHY did you come HERE in the FIRST PLACE! To THOSE people that came here - you are welcomed to participate in OUR BELIEFS,...and might I say WELCOMED to your OWN beliefs, but you ARE NOT WELCOME to CHANGE the way America...AMERICA believes; since what AMERICA believed is WHAT formed this country! If you risked your very LIFE to get HERE - then WHY do YOU want to CHANGE US to be LIKE what you risked your LIFE to LEAVE? I just don't get that - therefore I don't accept what's going on today! I was going to post ALL the political parties that have existed to this day, but Wikepedia is too bore some, because IT ISN'T accurate! BUT THERE WERE SO MANY! AND it didn't EVEN mention the parties of LONG ago like the Whig party (I neither agree or disagree...just saying they exist - ALL parties existed!), and there were other parties never mentioned - I don't take favor to any particularly except the COMMON SENSE party that has NEVER been formed - and I WOULD call that party Conservative! I don't care WHO you are, or WHO you screw, WHO you raise your MONEY from - if you cannot see that Conservatism and Capitalism WORKS - then too bad, so sad, I'll leave you dangling in your entitlement mentality and you can see just how Socialist hope and change works out for you in the end! I'm about DONE with the WHOLE LOT OF YOU, and what it brings to be active. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE will reign in the end - and I don't HAVE to go to meetings, be campaign managers, campaign on my time, nor DONATE to KNOW what the AMERICAN PEOPLE CAN DO! I'm still involved today, but we ARE in a different time today, and things are strange. I will NO LONGER vote nor support a candidate that WON'T carry him/her self as to the BEST INTEREST OF WE THE PEOPLE! I consider myself a staunch Republican, but if MY CANDIDATES WON'T take the best interest of the PEOPLE to heart - and THEY worry about "moderation" - perhaps I'll give UP politics in general and just FIGHT FOR THE PEOPLE... Oh Yeah...there's a cute chick in Alaska named Sarah Palin that just did that - we'll see yet if she's for REAL - but I'm hopin' SHE'S starting the next mannerly revolution :)

Wednesday Hero - Cpl. Reynold Armand

Cpl. Reynold Armand 21 years old from Rochester, New York 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force August 7, 2007 Reynold Armand didn’t want to wait until he turned 18 to join the Marines. He persuaded his adoptive mother to sign papers allowing him to sign up a year early. "I'm very proud of him," said his father, Carl Armand. "When he was home, he gave no sign of being afraid." Armand didn’t speak much about his experiences in Iraq, according to family members, saying only that most Iraqi civilians he encountered were very nice. "We used to send him a lot of candy," said his mother, Alma Armand. "He would pass it out." Manny Rodriguez, 21, of Rochester met Armand five years ago at New Day Church in Rochester, where both young men were members of the youth group. "He was such an amazing all-around person. He was so easy and comfortable to be around. He liked people for who they are." No definitive report could be found on how Cpl. Armand died. Some report that he was killed when shot and others report that he was killed by an IED that exploded near his vehicle in Balad, Iraq. All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com with help from Kathi These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Health Care Excessive Costs

I just recently went to the doctor for numbness in my hand. Thought I had carpal tunnel syndrome - NO - I have cubital tunnel syndrome, from the tunnel in the elbow instead. Yes it was a "specialist" I went to, not the average doctor. Just got a bill today for what I owe the doctor - not too bad at $53. I paid a $40 copay at the door. THEN - I looked at the REST of the statement. I spent just over an hour with this doctor, and the bill was about $3800 dollars!!! Yep it's nice that I only had to cover $93 dollars of that - but WTF? I figured out the numbers - if a doctor can see 5 patients a day at $3800 per hour or so given lunch hour - note time - in and out time - etc...that's $19,000 per day income. Given an average 20 day work month allowing for off time, holidays, etc...that's $380,000 per month income to an office. Yep there's rent, there's paying the salaries of say 5 people (2 nurses for a large office, 2 office staff, and 1 dedicated to filing insurance claims). How much do you figure a doctor's office employee makes - obviously the nurses more, but office staff...how much? I'm a business owner and I employ 22 people - OURSELVES included as owners. Our insurance premiums are HUGE because of a small group. I feel BADLY that I went to a specialist to fix my elbow problem - and I know for every dollar spent at a doctor's office, our premiums go up or down reflecting who uses the policy. Just IMAGINE when someone has to have a surgery or a catastrophic event befalls them...what that does to our premiums - and we all split the costs evenly. We as employers pay half and HALF of all dependents - it's STILL INSANE! A guy with a wife and a couple of kids is looking toward $800-$1000 per month! I manage to draw a nice salary, I employ 22 people - NOBODY in our companies makes less than $14 per hour, and the producers make over $20 - some up toward $30 per hour. WE NEVER HAVE $380,000 PER MONTH IN GROSS INCOME!!! Between 3 companies employing 22 people and 14 of those 22 are PRODUCERS, not like ONE doctor in an office that produces alone - we're lucky to maybe have between us all even close to that kind of gross income. Health care is INSANELY EXPENSIVE! Do the math! Large companies can employ hundreds of people. Back in my gaming days I worked for a company with 2800 employees - MY ENTIRE FAMILY was covered with lower co-pays and a premium of about $200 per month. WTF? Our current health care system is SCREWED UP! The government is certainly no answer - they can't even read a bill before they vote on one! I'd love to hear your thoughts...give me YOUR opinions on how we can stop the madness before the Government attempts to do it for us!

What Does A Free & Strong America Mean To You?

What does a FREE AND STRONG AMERICA MEAN TO YOU? Give Romney's PAC $50 and you might win an all expense paid trip to see a ball game at Fenway Park sitting in the Romney Family's seats :) Consider it a raffle ticket :) Many complained that it cost something to enter...goes to my entry...America is still a FREE country. Pay it and enter ONE DAY LEFT...or don't...but DON'T judge those of us that did! Here's my entry: "PEOPLE RISE, carry forth what founding Fathers intended, ABIDE the Constitution. GREAT document at inception. GET OVER ENTITLEMENT MENTALITY, GET OVER “Political Correctness”…Free Speech IS. QUIT getting FEELINGS HURT over someone DISAGREEING, then attempting to take morbid, legal action against said person… otherwise we’re stuck in moldy turmoil called endless conundrum! GET MORALS back! SAY NO to someone, AND HAVE THEM understand NO MEANS NO…keep extremes between yourselves under cover of your private home, NOT in main-stream. It’s OK to have ENFORCED RULE stating things are better left unsaid or undone… Americans cherish freedom… keep some freedoms to yourselves if you don’t particularly like enforced rule of civility, moral behavior, or common sense! BE FISCAL! It’s long been said that money is the root of all evil, but lack of it breeds evil! If America doesn’t FIRST deal with FISCAL; WE CANNOT heal social, political, or varied issues. YOU CANNOT SPEND WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE! Government has NO MONEY! They’re elected officials that serve US – WE DON’T SERVE THEM! Government HAS NOTHING they don’t gain from US! The more they take from those providing, the LESS WE HAVE TO PROVIDE. When they’ve taken ENOUGH to make all equal… NO MORE to take and NOBODY left to provide! EVERYBODY has a calling. Take that calling to the best of your ability WITHOUT Government intervening, prosper and abound. Keep morals strong, efforts true. WE THE PEOPLE ARE THE BEST PEOPLE on earth…if we just go BACK to how America CAME TO BE!" IT'S SO HARD for an activist blabbermouth like ME to say ANYTHING in 250 words or less...but I did it in EXACTLY 250 words. Although I couldn't cover illegal immigration here...I'm pretty sure enforced law and SAY NO 'bout covers that too :) Good luck to me and anybody else that entered or will...

Wednesday Hero - Pvt. William Long

Pvt. William Long 23 years old from Conway, Arkansas D Company, 2nd Battalion, 58th Infantry June 1, 2009 "My brother taught me valuable lessons and made me the man I am today," said Pfc. Triston Long, brother of Pvt. William Long. "My commander said, 'Make your brother one of us.' I will miss my brother with all that I am, and I serve in honor of him." Pvt. William Long had just completed basic training and was set to ship out on June 8 to his first duty station in Korea when he and Private Second Class Quinton Ezeagwula were shot outside a Little Rock, Arkansas Army-Navy Recruiting Center by Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad. They were in Little Rock to speak to with potential recruits about their experiences. Pvt. Long's father, Daris Long, a former Marine, wrote a letter to give to him when he shipped out for South Korea. In that letter he wrote, "Your day only ends when you’ve done your duty. You and your brother … are both heroes for having the moral courage to stand up when your country needs you most. You are in my hopes and my thoughts and my prayers. You are my son, you are my hero. I love you. Semper fidelis." Along with his father and brother, Pvt. William Long is survived by his mother, Janet, who had served in the Navy herself. All Information Was Found On And Copied From RedState, Sipsey Street Irregulars & Army Times with help from Kathi These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

New Legislation OR Pre-Planned Conspiracy?

I SWEAR - I'm NOT a Conspiracy Theorist! However...I'm living in a time unlike anything I've ever seen in my lifetime, and I'm 46. I'm amazed lately at the lightning speed in which rules are changed...both nationally and locally. Each new "regulation", or "new law" up to and including BOTH my "Obama" administration AND my Nevada legislation...has creepily had RESULTS BEFORE the ink was dry on the paper! Obama signs a new bill...within 3 days it seems I get new updates on my business software to compensate for the new expenditures/rules! My Nevada legislature signs a new law, and before the ink is dry I get a letter in the mail explaining the NEW way I must fill out tax forms or meet tax obligations, and / or I get a strange check in the mail that might benefit me TODAY, but it WON'T benefit future home buyers! Is all this stuff pre-planned? HOW CAN IT BE...it's NOT efficiency I ASSURE you that's causing all this. In years past...you almost had to ask or beg for new rules after they were passed in "Congress" to insure yourself you were obliging to new regulations before you might be penalized for not doing so. Today...news airs...next 3 days you get notification! In a country of 300,000,000 folks..."they" are NOT that efficient! "They" also aren't fooling anyone! Folks that study bills before State Legislature or Washington Congress can READ BETWEEN the lines! Every county in my state has a different sales tax %. Reno has been 7.375% since I've been in business...but we had an allowance credit for paying on time that got cut in half in the bad economy. That comes out of MY pocket. Sales Tax that I PAY my county is none other than writing a check for that which I collect...called a "wash" for those in the business know. For business owners...we got a "notice" that our allowance for making timely payments was cut in half from Jan.-June. Well...it's June. We also heard that sales tax going up was a passed measure in Legislature! Well...let me read you the letter...paraphrased yet accurate! The previous reduction in the collection allowance (Jan-June) will remain in effect for ALL FUTURE RETURNS. In addition...the local school support tax of sales & use tax will increase from 2.25% to 2.60% (don't EVEN know what that is but SOMEBODY is paying it!)...as of July 1, 2009. Based on these increases...here...blah blah are new tax rates...Reno...7.725%????? While SOME...MIDDLE CLASS folks bear these increases...they make it seem like tax rates went DOWN from 7.735% to 7.725%??? Maybe some other counties really got humped...I only keep up with mine :) BUT...BANGING average folks for the INCREASES and LOWERING the sales tax to consumers by a miniscule amount...DOES NOT MAKE FOR LOWER TAXES! HELLO!!! The INCREASES that are MORE are paid by the average folk, the same way you give us a percentage of a penny OFF our sales tax??? Don't you government folk THINK WE the LITTLE PEOPLE can actually DO MATH??? "You" GOVERNMENT stick a rose in our faces while you stick a hot poker up our butts and think WE don't know the difference given your convoluted formulas of "government math". Let me spell it out for any Republican or Democrat out there. 2+2=4. Dividing CRAZY ideas into REAL numbers only leads to failure. YOU aren't fooling ANYBODY! Nevada Legislature's idea of 4...Obama and his Congress's idea of 4 is NOWHERE EQUAL TO 2+2! GIVE US A FREAKING BREAK ALREADY!!!! "They" cannot EVEN account for all the bail out money...but by God...I've gotten notices of me paying MORE immediately! A bad bill passed in Nevada that is "good for me" as a homeowner that "already" owned a home...got a tax abatement check. For new homeowners...they are going to pay taxes on full market value of anything purchased if my thinking is correct. The only "roll-back" to pre-so-in-so tax values was going to require this if my study is true! BUT...just saying...things are happening QUICK these days...like "they" ALREADY knew what was going to happen before it did! Am I crazy? OR...does anybody else notice this?

Yen & Yang of Capitalism

When SUCCESS is no longer a viable OPTION...a FEW will continue to succeed for a short time. When FAILURE is no longer a viable OPTION...ALL will eventually FAIL in a short time!

Obama Makes My Jaw Drop

I swear...I never thought I'd live to see the things happening right before my own eyes today. One man managed in 6 months to spend more money than ever before in 30 administrations before him. One man has managed to appall the masses (even the ones that voted for him)... The last time I "overly" shook my head was when Jimmy Carter was in office. But today, I'm beginning to think I've contracted a terminal case of both Parkinson's Disease and TMJ all at the same time! I walk around each day with my head continually shaking and my jaw dropped (it's locked in that dropped position), as I watch my President throwing away 200+ years of history. There might have been a report of a volatile dirt explosion...I'm not sure...but I'm pretty sure wherever the founding fathers are buried...a huge explosion occurred, as I don't think a simple "roll-over" would have been sufficient enough for them in their graves! I'm pretty sure their graves either EXPLODED, or IMPLODED, and the smell of RIGHTEOUSNESS must be prevalent wherever they exist! For the ones that were creameated...it must look worse than the LaBron James Powder show in the playoffs! Obama now has Czars...bunches of them (about 13-16) I think...since when does the USA need Czars? (Czar is the definition of a ruler of Russia until the 1917 Revolution, or one in GREAT power). Nobody really knows who they are...who they report to, or what the consequences will be if they don't perform admirably? They just are, and they get paid WELL on YOUR dime! I think Obama must have been "absent" for 9-11, and much before and after. I think Obama learned A LOT while he was in that Madrassa in Indonesia as a small child. After attending Rev. Wright's "christian church" for a long time...he hasn't been bothered with religion at all lately. I can't talk...I haven't stepped foot in a church for years either...but I PRAY regularly and those that know me know I depend on my Christian beliefs and spirituality to get me by always. Church can be at home, it can be anywhere...but most that participate at LEAST talk about that practice on a regular basis! Obama only preaches the NEEDS of the other peoples, not the Americans who hold Christianity dear. Don't get me wrong...Christians by belief accept, welcome, and tolerate freedom of all religions...I've just never seen such a "Muslim "christian" before"... My President gave up Reverend Wright to spend my taxpayer dollars to travel to the Middle East and quote the Quran! NO OTHER POTUS has EVER done that! I see dictators and savage militants laughing at my President calling him Comrade and joking that THEY are more Conservative than he...and it's true. No doubt Obama is a Liberal...but to have Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro LESS Liberal than you is spooky! Obama basically snubs Israel and the Jews...but he sure loves the Muslims...NOT the Christians or Catholics, or the Methodists, Episcipalions, Church of Christ, Jewish people, or any other Christian religion that actually believes in GOD and true kindness and responsibility! He said on his first day of his tour, he was happy to be there where Islam began! Couldn't bother to go to Israel though...Couldn't even bother to go to Kenya to visit Grandma who witnessed his birth...oh yea...he's had a gag order placed upon "that part" of his family since his Grandma "ratted him out" for NOT being born in Hawaii...he's spent about $2 Million in legal defenses against the 12 or so lawsuits against him for producing no legitimate birth certificate...when producing a legitimate one would have ended it all! I've been alive for all Presidents from Kennedy through Obama, and NO President has ever "given me the CREEPS"...this one does. It's TOO CREEPY that he's managed to destroy America in less than 6 months. All politicians are a bit arrogant, but he's narcissist, and arrogant beyond any other. He continually makes speeches and looks from side to side, points that finger horizontally OVER and over...and NEVER LOOKS US in the eye! A man that cannot LOOK YOU IN THE EYE has MUCH to hide! Pelosi or Reid cannot look into the eye either. (Excuse me...Pelosi DOES look you in the eye...she just waves her hands a lot and states..."I've said ALL I'm going to say about that." We're in a BIG MESS...and while I always try to get along with my Democrat friends...I hope this is the CHANGE you were hoping for...as for me...I just HOPE I survive long enough to see him gone out of office! It's a real shame to see what Obama and the Democrats and the liberal media have done to this Country! Even the flag that flies in front of my house is depressed! The wind never seems to kick up in the right direction anymore to make it fly STRAIGHT OUT! It just seems to kind of limp there and fly sometimes, but mostly just hang...even in Nevada winds. When it is windy...it seems to just get all wadded up in itself! God Bless the USA even if our President WON'T. And God bless Israel even if our President WON'T.

Reno CANCELS Fireworks 4th of July

Folks...some TRUE news is SO BIZARRE...you just can't make this kind of craziness up! And yet you find yourself head in hands pulling your hair out as to how grown adults in charge of a city of several hundred thousand people actually meet and DECIDE that THIS is what's best for ALL OF US!!! RGJ News Article "The Reno City Council agreed Friday to cancel fireworks for the Fourth of July, bowing out to the much bigger Star-Spangled Sparks show in downtown Sparks. It will use that money and other funds to support special events." Oh Goody!...just what "special events" are we going to use that money on? "The council agreed that the $7,500 planned for fireworks would be better spent supporting the national hand cycling championship that will be part of the Tour de Nez bicycle classic on June 17-20...With that backing, “we could get them every year and make it into a bigger event,” Councilman Dave Aiazzi said." WOW! hand cycling over 4th of July Fireworks!!! Yippeee!!! But WAIT!!! It gets better... "The Council has made special events a top priority this year as a means of drawing tourism and to help cheer up local people in this recession. Weight loss program: The council also supported member Dan Gustin’s request to spend $15,000 in its next budget to put 12 police officers and firefighters, if they agree, on a three-month program to lose weight in hopes they will stick with it. Their initial program would be overseen by a doctor, physical fitness experts and a nutritionist. Preventing any one of them from a heart attack would save the city $1 million in medical bills, Gustin said." Only in America huh? Glad to know my city is in such qualified hands! My sarcasm runs amok, but not NEARLY as much as my lividness at the sheer STUPIDITY of all of it!

Ronald Reagan is Not the New GOP - OLD SCHOOL

FIRST AND FOREMOST...DON'T THINK I'D EVER DISRESPECT RONALD REAGAN. He was a great President. BUT...I'm growing ever increasingly tired of Reaganomics, Reaganophics, The Reagan Principle, Reaganesque!!! It's like people DON'T realize that when you were young...and little Johnny and little Bobby lived next door...they BOTH had great dads...but like your always hearing that only ONE of those dads ever mattered! Reagan was great...and he may have been the last thing Republicans can remember that great... but if that's true? IF A PARTY ONLY has one guy that is rememberable enough to mention, and he was great in the '80's...you gotta see we're in TROUBLE! WHEN ARE CONSERVATIVES GOING TO STAND BACK UP (in the 'real' world of actual elected officials) AND REALIZE THAT IT'S WE - WE - WE THE PEOPLE that think Conservative (maybe like Reagan)...but like millions of others JUST LIKE HIM! GOOD POLITICS is NEVER going to be about one man or woman! It's about WE. It's a TEAM effort to make this country great! Reagan was a wonderful man and politician...but he is just one man amongst millions of great country men and women! What Reagan represents that NOBODY likes to bring up is "Old School"! Guess What? I'm at that PERFECT AGE to see it come full circle LOL :) When I bucked as a youngster...I thought my folks were "such 'Old School' "...I have grown kids now...that have lived through the bucking, and now we laugh about how they used to think I was 'Old School'...but guess what else? Old School in my generation, in theirs, and in the 'old schools' of our parents and grandparents is WHAT WORKED! IT WASN'T JUST REAGAN!!!!! GOP-get back to 'Old School'...and just leave Reagan to live out his peace in his grave! There are millions like Reagan...and some even better is my guess...get on with getting it all out... Suddenly...I need a cup of TEA :) Later...readers...gonna sip and remember... BUT...IF REAGAN WERE HERE TODAY...THIS WOULD BE HIS EXPRESSION!!!

Mother's Day 2009

Later this month, my two sons will be 26 & 20!!! They're no less my babies today however than on that awesome May, 23 26 years ago :) My boys showed up this morning and made me biscuits & gravy with scrambled eggs for breakfast (at the appropriate not too early time of 10am LOL). A graceful glass swan came for me with a single fragrant rose. I received a beautiful house/plant flower called Guzmania or Soledo. It's a gorgeous plant and I just can't decide if I'll keep this one in the house, or make it a permanent addition to my yard :) All was complete with cards that always make my eye leak :) Without fail, my boys always come up with very unique and personal gifts. They found from their grandmother, and gave to me an old cassette tape from March, 1983 (two months before my eldest was even born) of me playing the piano. Mostly gospel, some pop (of that day and before), and a couple of country tunes. What a blast from the past...I was 20 years old when that was done :) I LOVE YOU BOYS! Thanks for yet again another perfect Mother's Day. I've always said... God's greatest gift to me ever was the amazing gift to have been your Mother :)

Spring Planting in Reno

Oh...Lawdy, Lawdy, Miss Clawdy! I don't have a green thumb...not even a brown one LOL! I have a BLACK thumb hahaha! Last year, I damn near killed myself trying to have the perfect yard, since I'd just moved into this neighborhood, into this beautiful home...and I bought FLATS of FLOWERS that I just could never get around to planting. I planted sometimes 60 per day! Then...I was DONE...and didn't plant more for many days...therefore some I'd purchased...died in the garage...never having seen the light of day :) "Don't even tell me you've never done that....I won't believe you LOL!" This year...I decided (my 2nd Spring in this home)...I'd do it different :) THIS YEAR...I will ONLY purchase 12 per day...as twelve can be done in a quick hour or so...still get dinner out...still watch a movie...etc...LOL... TODAY...I wake up to this beautiful day and finally think FLOWERS! I KNOW it's MAY 9th, the very day before Mother's day...but in Reno....you still pray on May 9 you might NOT have yet another 3-4" snow yet to come LOL :) (It HAS snowed here on July 4th before)... I'm looking out the window of my office, and the snow is ALL GONE (for now) on Peavine Mt. The old folk have always told me NEVER plant before the snow is off Peavine :) Sad truth is... Peavine has been naked twice already...I just decided at May 9...maybe it will STAY naked :) I went to the flower store...and yep...they were all JUST SO BEAUTIFUL...I couldn't do with 12. I purchased 24 that HAVE to be planted. I purchased two "buckets" of flowers that can just be placed and watered :) (I like those...less work for me LOL)... I dug 24 holes. I fertilized 24-4" deep holes. I then planted 24 separate flowers. I then covered 24 holes. I then sprinkled 24 holes with rich soil. I then mixed appropriate feeding water for 24 holes. I placed my "batched flowers" upon my posts... I'm not sure they don't look hokey...but they smell good and I love them :) I asked my husband...he said it was OK... then my neighbor came out and said they looked nice...but standard gardner brown plastic buckets on stucco posts...I'm not sure. I like them...but some in this neighborhood are all about the realism... After I planted 24 flowers...I look back at my bushes...and it doesn't like I did much of anything! 24 flowers doesn't go very far...Much Planting Ahead in my future :) I KNOW MY TEXAS & RENO FRIENDS WILL TELL ME THE TRUTH....do my bucket flowers look OK on my posts at the front of the house? LOL...thanks for your input :) I finished my task...but decided...I should stick to 12 per day... I will post more pictures as our summer goes on.

Wednesday Hero - 1st Lt. Michael A. Cerrone

1st Lt. Michael A. Cerrone 24 years old from Clarksville, Tennessee 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division November 12, 2006 Cerrone's men said in written statements of remembrance that he put their safety and welfare first. He lead from the front and all of the paratroopers would "unquestionably" follow him into battle. His platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Ronald H. Berryhill, said Cerrone was more than a leader, but a friend and "little brother." He remembers the first day Cerrone got to the unit. At the time, he was shy and quiet. But after a few months, he became more outspoken. "I am truly blessed to have known him and to serve under his leadership," Berryhill wrote. "He will never be forgotten. I will carry him with me always and I will always watch over his platoon. We will make him proud of his boys." Sgt. Cerrone was killed when a suicide bomber detonated the bomb he had strapped to himself in Samarra, Iraq. Also killed in the attack was Specialist Harry "Buck" Winkler. You can read more at BLACKFIVE. These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Ed Carlson - Reno's Waver

Ed's BACK! I wrote a story long ago about Reno's icon eccentric Ed The Waver. A seeming hippie with a story of unconditional love that walked to the moon and back, and almost everybody waved :) STORY HERE. The VIDEO portion of that story is "currently temporarily unavailable"! I've written those folks to FIX THAT SOON, because his video is priceless on many levels. I included the "link" in case it does get fixed. He does chant a strange mantra as he walks...it's on the video...that I can't show you right now! I've found no other record of that chant. But...Ed has graced our roads & highways since the 1970's with kindness and a WAVE :) My son's girlfriend works at the VA hospital here locally...and thankfully is also one of the few that follows my blog (love ya E) :) Since she had read my previous story of Ed the Waver...she recognized him immediately when he came in recently for an appointment and she had the pleasure to serve him. She told him of my story on my blog, and asked him if he could give her something as a momento of their actual meeting. He gave her an autograph. Now most would think that an autograph is just a signing of a name. NOT FOR THE WAVER! This must be the most amazing and most intriguing autograph I've ever seen. SEE TOP LEFT STORY PICTURE - CLICK TO ENLARGE :) It took me a while to actually READ all of it...and decipher it...and try to figure out what seemed like hyrogliphs within it...BUT I FIGURED IT OUT!...and it only made me wish I could give this odd fellow a nod and say Thanks Again for being a true icon of Nevada... The strange "quotes" or "designs" within the autograph...are the WORDS he CHANTS as he walks our highways, streets, & neighborhoods and just continues his misson to WAVE :) Of course, the hand drawn within is his...traced...as another wave :) God Bless you Ed....we're all still waving back, and I personally am HONORED to have in my possession a legitimate token of your life story in the form of your unique autograph :) THANKS E for sharing that with Mama C :)

Cookout Capital - BBQ Reno

I love Nevada :) It's nice to know that Blue Rhino (the folks that provide your BBQ propane tanks) elected Reno, NV as the 9th BEST city in ALL OF USA for cookouts :) Our ranking was based on the fact that we have SO MANY rain free days with temperatures under 90 degrees from May through August. Yea Baby! The grill at my house is hoppin' several nights a week...even in the winter LOL :)

Arlen Specter CHANGES PARTY

BOY! The underlying drama of each day in the White House lately is so bizarre; even Stephen King couldn't make this crap up! 79 year old Pennsylvania Senator, Arlen Specter today (after closed door meetings with Harry Reid & the ilk), decided the only chance he has to win his next election bid in 2010 is to CHANGE PARTIES and become a Democrat! Pat Toomey almost beat him in the last election, and will most likely beat him for sure in 2010. DEMOCRATS - BE VERY AWARE OF THIS MAN - THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS - THIS REGARDS SERIOUS CHARACTER FLAWS! Specter's decision now gives the Senate the desperately desired 60 vote majority that is filibuster- proof. The current group of politicians has long been in chase of this victory. They wiled their way around folks until they found the perfect fall guy...the guy that is centrist and moderate, and the guy that's 79 years old! My Daddy told me LONG YEARS AGO!!!, "Malinda...no matter how little or how much you have...ALWAYS stand by your God, Family, Principles, Guns, & Money...for if you CAN be bought...you WILL MOST CERTAINLY BE SOLD later on! #1: The Democrats WILL sell Arlen Specter down the river later on...he will FOREVER be beholding to them for whatever was spoken in that back room. #2: The Democrats of Pennsylvania SHOULD NOT vote for this guy in 2010! Find your own qualified candidate that stands by his own convictions. If Arlen Specter turned on his party of 40 years...he will turn on you if the offer is good enough! BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE! #3: WE WILL NEVER KNOW the underlying promises of this deal, but trust me, it's ugly. I believe Mr. Specter will long regret selling his soul for political gain...or not... #4: THE GOVERNMENT - NEITHER REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT - CAN PROTECT AGAINST - KARMA! The karmic circle is infinite, holds NO ALLEGIANCE to anyone or anything but the force within it, and it never ends, and is never complete...it just goes on and on.

Pelosi Didn't Know - Reid Didn't Read

One of our local State Assemblymen posted this on Facebook today as a "reminder" for those that need a refresher course in government and I laughed my butt off! Perhaps those in Washington DC too need to re-watch. I REMEMBER THIS...DON'T YOU?

Michele Beard NEW Nevada GOP Chairman (Washoe County/Reno) - Harry Reid NO MORE!

Tonight, Reno, NV made history. Reno is Washoe County, and we elected a new President/Chair for the Washoe County Republicans. CONGRATULATIONS! TO MICHELE BEARD! NOW FOR MY NATIONAL READERS...IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ ALL OF THIS...SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM PARAGRAPH...IT'S IMPORTANT AS HELL... Sounds simple enough, but it's NOT! Washoe County has about 500,000 citizens...along with the rural counties that add a few more to Northern Nevada. Reno is the forever "labeled" red-headed step child of Las Vegas (Clark County). It's NOT! Reno, Sparks/Washoe County IS THE BACKBONE of the Nevada Republican Party and the DIRE DESIRE to become what the GOP used to stand for. Las Vegas/Henderson comprises TWO OF THE THREE congressional districts in Nevada! Sadly, Clark County (due to its close proximity to California and the mass influx of residents that moved here from CA) is HUGELY Liberal! We do have a Republican Senator from Vegas...but it's tough down South, and my jury's out on Senator Ensign's true commitment to true Conservatism due to the sheer pressure of the Libs there on his positions. In what I'm going to call a surprising defeat, our own "term-limited-out" State Senator Maurice Washington lost to Michele at the election tonight. The great part of good politics (yes there are GOOD politics), is that when you have two great candidates running, someone must lose. I saw grass roots America speak out tonight in Washoe County, and I am pleasantly surprised, but that comes with a great plea to give the deserved person that won the support she needs from the ENTIRE NATION! WE MUST DEFEAT HARRY REID IN 2010! I will admit here on this blog that I voted for State Senator Washington...FOR THE REASON THAT HE HAS NOTORIETY, IS A GREAT AND FABULOUS ORATOR, STICKS 95% TO ALL CONSERVATIVE VALUES, AND COULD BE A NATIONAL NAME THAT FOLKS COULD RECOGNIZE in our fight to defeat Harry Reid in 2010. He has a LOT of experience that would have made him a viable candidate :) I also thought he could stand a better chance of raising the estimated $30,000,000 it's thought will take to DEFEAT Harry Reid! Scary isn't it...that a little 'ole state in the Wild Wild West must raise a freaking 30 MILLION in order to defeat bad judgment! He is a GREAT NEVADAN, he is a GREAT and often lonely voice voting FOR US in our Nevada Legislature! I really love the dickens out of this guy...but Nevada, Washoe County chose another GREAT NEVADAN...a simple everyday local GREAT AMERICAN, NEVADAN to hold this position! However...let it ALSO BE SAID ON THIS BLOG...that Michele Beard has been EVERYWHERE in the last few years where Northern Nevada Politics has had a voice. Her dedication to the GOP in Nevada has been impeccable! She is KNOWLEDGEABLE, she has a great military background, she knows the in's and out's of EVERY ASPECT of the county's voting population. She has been tireless in her efforts to support every qualified and successful Nevada Conservative elected official from dog catcher to senator! She WAS PRESENT for all the woes and wants while Nevada struggled through having many viable Presidential Candidates in 2008 come through Nevada, a Swing State...and even though some didn't want McCain...she fought hard to try and promote him as the MORE VIABLE candidate (ANYBODY BUT) Obama. She has served completely dedicated and without pay to the exiting President/Chair of our county's GOP for multiple years. Our GOP offices are all based on a volunteer basis. Probably the thing that hurt Senator Washington was the desire to have a paid staff. NEVADA CONSERVATIVES ARE ALL ABOUT NOT SPENDING MONEY WHERE MONEY DOESN'T NEED TO BE SPENT...call us crazy...we NEED money...but for our candidates to WIN...NOT to pay the people informed and active in getting them there :) Michele pulls no punches, she works hard and fair through honesty, parliamentary procedure, she listens to the people, and is beholding to NO ONE. She's never held any "official paid office" regarding politics that I know of. She's only attended legislation...not been "one of them"...and she is a bit plain in her appearance to the public. What I mean by that...is she isn't a dynamic speaker, she doesn't move mountains when she speaks...she just does, and she just says it like it is...BUT what she says is correct to a fault, and she's always given her positions her all. You know...JUST A NORMAL FOLK LIKE ALL OF WE ARE! I figured tonight that our "more public and popular" State Senator that has served many terms as a State politician was a shoe in for the office. BUT...as grass roots as Senator Washington IS... it proved to be that Nevadans WANT REAL grass roots and REAL locals to head our County Political Party ;) Tonight's vote was HARD for me. I was undecided up until the last moment. I had enough faith in our grass roots body that I believed that IT'S IMPORTANT ENOUGH to get rid of Reid that I voted for someone I thought could have a little better shot at making that happen. I actually held my pen in hand and twitched a couple of times...before I voted. SO...I CAN SAY WITH A CLEAR CONSCIENCE THAT I'M PROUD OF MICHELE!!! It was that last twitch of my pen that made me X the other candidate. So to my nation... To my readers... To ANYONE that thought that someone more "famous" should have won...WATCH OUT! Michele will be here for us all...(and if she finds a hard day... there's plenty of US to pick her up), even Senator Washington and the REST OF THE REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE!!!...THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES NEEDS TO BE BEHIND THIS WOMAN!!! WE CANNOT DEFEAT HARRY REID WITHOUT WASHOE COUNTY NEVADA..AND DON'T ANY OF YOU EVER FORGET THAT FOR ONE SECOND!!! Harry Reid has Las Vegas basically in his pocket! HELP Michelle! Send her e-mails! Send the Nevada GOP MONEY! Harry Reid ALREADY has $7,000,000 (SEVEN MILLION) dollars in his fund. Washoe County has $43,000 in it's fund. People donate ALL THE TIME to PAC groups that SAY they will defeat Harry Reid. HARRY REID LIVES IN NEVADA! Donate to NEVADA'S REPUBLICAN PARTY...that's the ONLY way we can help YOU get him OUT! I'm VERY proud of Michele Beard tonight. She showed me that America is TRULY turning to WE THE PEOPLE to take this country back. I will support her and the Northern Nevada GOP to TAKE USA BACK!!! Michele can be e-mailed at office@washoecountygop.org. You may help US DEFEAT Harry Reid by sending $1 at a time, $5 at a time to the Washoe County Republican Party / PO Box 1886 / Reno, NV 89509. If you don't wish to send money...SEND YOUR IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS! Help us defeat Harry Reid in 2010.

GOOOH - A Plan To Evict Politicians!

Take a look at this: http://goooh.com/Learn.aspx

Reject Reid Tea Party Protest - Nevada Tea Parties

Nevada spoke out today in fine fashion. In Carson City, NV our capitol, crowd estimates are between 2000-3000. The streets were lined with law abiding, tax paying, fiscally responsible, AMERICAN patriots whom have been labeled by the Obama DHS as "right wing extremists", this link IS THE REPORT. The funny side of that is that among our thousands that held tea parties in Nevada today...MANY were in fact Democrats. Welcome Democrats to the "domestic terrorist" category LOL! (Pictures from Carson from KRNV Channel 4 Reno). I even saw one sign that said "Obama-YES - Harry Reid - NO". Just goes to show you that ALL Americans are TEA'D OFF! You Tube Video HERE :) Isn't it funny that we were SUCH a PEACEFUL crowd, laughing a lot, and having local citizens HONK at us a lot..and we ended up NO THREAT to society :) I couldn't get my camera up quick enough, but EVEN a police car flashed a PRO sign to us from a window. I could only catch most of it with my eyes as it turned, but I think it said "Don't Spread My Wealth, Spread My Work Ethic". It was PRICELESS and damn...couldn't get it quick enough :) Thank you to our local police officers that KNEW we were a peaceful yet determined crowd, and appreciated our laughter, music, signs, and our peaceful demonstration! GO RENO RPD You guys ROCK! It ALSO ROCKED that a RTC Bus Driver HONKED at us, and so did a Waste Management truck. It was so COOL that people of ALL walks of life from the elite wealthy to the working guys & gals that couldn't join us ALL AGREE that it's damn TIME that WE THE PEOPLE are represented! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THE WHOLE STORY...SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR THE SLIDE SHOW OF PICTURES :) (OR...CLICK HERE FOR YOU TUBE ANTI-REID COVERAGE :) Or, search You Tube for Reject Reid 2010 Tea Party :) I even "made the paper" with a direct quote to a local Reno Gazette Journal reporter :) Unfortunately, I couldn't attend Carson's rally...I had a business to attend to...but I was proudly in attendance in Reno this evening for the REJECT REID 2010 demonstration / tea party. We were proudly donned in our red "Reject Reid" T-shirts complete with tea bag necklaces with stars, flags, and even an elephant :). We fought the bitter cold and terrible winds. Approximately 200+ folks showed up for the event. This event was sparked largely due to outrage that our own Republican Mayors Bob Cashell (Reno) right, and Geno Martini (Sparks) left, were co-hosts at a downtown Reno reception/fund raiser for the DIShonorable Stinky Pinky Harry Reid. Minimum $500 donation, but suggested $2000 PAC contribution was expected to allow entrance to this dastardly event. In my video I caught Mayor Geno Martini coming out of the reception. He was all smiles, and gracious to our crowd. I heard one attendee say to him cheerfully, "Shame on You!". He replied with a cheerful (shrugged shoulders), "Oh Well..." Oh Well mayor...enjoy your term, you WON'T be re-elected by Nevada Republicans...get that resume polished up :) Amazingly, and I'm sure as a campaign strategy...Harry Reid agreed FINALLY to appear on our local Conservative talk radio station KKOH today on the Bill Manders Show. Opposite him, our other senator (R) John Ensign had the other portion of the show. Click HERE FOR HARRY REID'S PORTION PODCAST, (Click HERE for direct ITunes download), and then you may CLICK HERE FOR JOHN ENSIGN'S PORTION PODCAST, (Click HERE for direct ITunes Download). I've got to say...I've said openly that John Ensign seems to me to be a bit of a RINO. He was the ONLY Nevada official in Washington to vote FOR the stimulus bill. His voting record is a bit less of RIGHT than I would like, but on this program...he sure seems now to be towing a different line? He's CERTAINLY better than our Democratic representatives, but "I dunno yet" as they say... Ensign too, is from the Liberal South Nevada, from Vegas...so I'm not sure about him yet. He seems to be getting on board... possibly it took WE THE PEOPLE to show him a better route. I wish better days for him, and hope he finally grows the cajones to stand with HIS PEOPLE ;) Today, he did speak with reason and Conservative tone. You may check out the great REJECT REID 2010 event by CLICKING HERE for my You Tube video coverage :) All I could muster in the wind with signs was my Canon G7 point & shoot video, so some of the footage is less than professional quality, but there are some good moments to be seen. Former State Senator - Colonel & Dr. Joe Heck who has announced his run for Governor was present. He is a graduate of some impressive Military Stragetic training, was an Army Corp doctor, and was a Colonel. I don't have an opinion on him yet...he's from Clark County (Las Vegas...HUGELY LIBERAL), so I've read some negative typical liberal dribble on him...but haven't studied him enough yet to form a real educated opinion. He seems really down to earth though, seems fiscally conservative, and so far so good. He was supposed to have spoken at my last NvFRW board meeting, his wife came instead...he was called away on some military business of some sort...I admired that. She was engaging and who knows, Joe Heck just might have a shot...we'll see as time plays out. AT LEAST TODAY...he cared enough about the OTHER Congressional district in the North to SHOW UP :) By the way for you that are outside Nevada...Las Vegas comprises TWO (2) Congressional districts. THE ENTIRE REST OF THE STATE is the "other" district. Look at a freaking MAP! Nevada is one of the largest states in the Union...ONE CITY (+ SURBURBS) comprise TWO districts...the ENTIRE state is left as the other district, and we are HUGELY CONSERVATIVE in the "rest" of Nevada :) That includes my city of Reno...in my county...about 500,000 residents! There's still Carson City, the capitol, and all of the rural areas...comprising Ely, Elko, Winnemucca, Fallon, Fernley, Gardnerville, Minden, Yerington, etc. A fair note here: North Las Vegas mayor Mike Montandon also spoke to us at our board meeting, and is also running as a Republican gubentorial candidate. He was impressive as well, has great points, and seemed to be a qualified candidate too. I don't want to see TOO MANY good Republicans put their name in the bucket...because RORY REID...YEP...THE SON OF BIG STINKY PINKY HARRY REID has announced his run on the Democratic side for Governor. WE CANNOT ALLOW ANOTHER REID INTO ANY OFFICE!!!!...NOT EVEN DOG CATCHER!!! All in all, IT WAS A GREAT DAY for Nevadans. It is a shame that in the "rural...more 'redneck' part of Nevada"...which means outside Las Vegas...THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE turned out in their particular towns and cities for Tea Parties. The area of Nevada (2 Congressional districts) (where Harry Reid hails from) mustered an estimated 500 people for their rally :( NEVADA WILL NEED THE HELP OF THE REST OF THE NATION TO OFF HARRY REID IN 2010! He will have MILLIONS in campaign donations by the time of the election. If you've ever considered donating money to a campaign outside your own state...PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING to whichever Conservative candidate Nevada puts forth in 2010. REJECT REID - WE ALL HAVE REID FATIGUE - DUMP HARRY Slide Show of Today's WONDERFUL events :)